Another poll shows Gov. John Hickenlooper[2] with high approval ratings, this time ranking him among the most popular governors in the Mountain West.

The State of the Rockies Conservation in the West poll[3], commissioned by Colorado College[4], surveyed 2,400 registered voters in Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming, Montana and Utah. It showed Hickenlooper’s approval rating among Coloradans at 67 percent – the same percentage of voters who identify themselves as conservationists.

Meanwhile, Hickenlooper’s disapproval rating was only at 19 percent, a 48-point spread between overall approval and disapproval that put him in third place for popularity among Mountain West governors, behind Utah Gov. Gary Herbert[5], who had a 51-point spread, and Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead[6], who had a seemingly bullet-proof 66-point spread.

Colorado voters also continue to show themselves, like most voters in the Mountain West, to be independent-minded. Only 28 percent of Colorado voters said they were supporters of the Tea Party[8], while 66 percent said they weren’t. Meanwhile, only 26 percent said they were Occupy Wall Street supporters, while 67 percent said they weren’t.

At the same time, 36 percent said they watched mainstream news outlets like ABC, NBC and CBS, while 23 percent said they watched FOX news, 7 percent said they watched CNN and 9 percent said they watched MSNBC.

The poll also showed that 34 percent of respondents were registered as Democrats, 34 percent were registered as Republicans and 30 percent were unaffiliated.

Other findings from the poll showed:

• 78 percent of Coloradans said that the state can protect land and water and have a strong economy at the same time.

• 93 percent agreed that, “Our national parks, forests, monuments, and wildlife areas are an essential part of Colorado’s economy.”

• 63 percent of Colorado voters view environmental laws more as “important safeguards to protect private property owners, public health and taxpayers from toxic pollution and costly clean-ups” while 29 percent see them as “burdensome regulations that tie up industry in red tape, hurt them too much financially, and cost jobs.”

• 75 percent say Colorado should maintain protections for land, air and water in the state rather than reduce them in an effort to create jobs as quickly as possible.

• Only 34 percent said that, “One of the best ways to create jobs is to cut back environmental regulations that are weighing down Colorado’s businesses.”

• 71 percent support the EPA “continuing to implement the Clean Air Act by updating the standards for air quality, including for smog, dust, and emissions from power plants, factories and cars.”